Frank Asbeck, SolarWorld's chief executive, spoke with workers and board members in Hillsboro during a visit earlier this month. The German company has invested more than $500 million in its Hillsboro plant, built originally by Japan’s Komatsu as a semiconductor wafer factory. Nearly 1,000 people now work in the plant

Spire Solar recently won a contract with Federal Prison Industries (FPI) to install photovoltaic module systems for UNICOR, FPI’s inmate employment division. The contract is on an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) basis for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) work on systems for UNICOR

Preservationists say case-by-case reviews of residential solar installations within historic and conservation districts are necessary to maintain neighborhoods' characters. Solar hot-water panels are visible on this home within the Piedmont Conservation District, but the addition of solar panels would require review